Southampton have agreed a deal to bring former Tottenham transfer target Mislav Orsic to the Premier League in a £7m move from Dinamo Zagreb, with the 30-year-old expected on the South Coast to undergo a medical on Thursday as the St Mary’s outfit look to bolster a misfiring attack.
Nathan Jones’ side were booed off after they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, leaving the new Saints boss without a win to his name since taking over and sitting rock bottom of the Premier League, three points away from safety. Their last Premier League point came against table-toppers Arsenal, who they held to a 1-1 draw under the tenure of Ralph Hasenhuttl in October.
And scoring goals has been a major problem, with just 15 to their name all season. With the likes of Adam Armstrong, Che Adams and Sekou Mara woefully out of form or favour, there is a real sense of panic on the south coast as to where their next goal from open play may come from.
In an attempt to rectify that, the club have moved fast in the January market, securing a deal for veteran forward Orsic, who scored in the 3rd/4th play off clash at the Qatar World Cup and boasts significant experience on the international and European stage.
Perhaps most well-remembered by Premier League watchers for his hat-trick to knock Tottenham out of the Europa League in March 2021, the winger has grabbed 8 goals and 7 assists in 15 domestic outings for Zagreb this campaign, as well as netting twice in the Champions League, including a winner against Chelsea in the opening round of the season.
And as per the Athletic, a deal for the winger is ‘close to being completed’, with the Saints having fought off interest from Nottingham Forest and Everton. They have agreed a deal worth £6m plus a further £1m in potential add-ons based on performance.
The Saints are also looking to bring in more bodies in midfield, and have approached Villarreal midfielder Nicolas Jackson about a potential loan move.
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